Hi Mike, I think it will ultimately be up to the community and the OGC as to how much influence Google has in the future direction of KML. That said I think Google will be very well prepared with thorough documentation and support for where they think KML should go. If the community is passive and not engaged then the most prepared point of view will win the day (Google, Microsoft, ESRI or anyone else). In most cases Google's point of view could be spot on and the path forward is obvious. If there is a difference of opinion then there will be discussion, voting and consensus.
For instance during the test bed work we had a different view point on how the schema tag could be leveraged with KML. Google listened to what we (specifically Chris Ingrassia) had to say in the meetings as well as other folks view points in the test bed and the community in general, then added the "extended data" feature. It was not exactly the way we would have done it or others, but got the job done and saved the schema tag :-) Now that KML is part of the OGC we could have made a pitch for our version, Google theirs and anyone else that thought they had a clever path forward. Then it would be up to the group to vote and decide which approach had the best merits. >From this stand point I think the process is fairly transparent. If members >of the community believe that the direction Google, or others, is advising for >KML is not the best there is plenty of opportunity to prove their point. Just >be prepared to have a very solid argument with lots of support, because I'll >put all my pennies on the fact Google will be very well prepared (as anyone >should be). I caveat my ramblings with the fact we have not been involved with the test bed for several months because of development dead lines, but hope to get reengaged going forward. Also I'm far from an expert on the OGC process. Raj and Andrew would have a far better perspectives on all the issues than my self. best, sean FortiusOne Inc, 2200 Wilson Blvd. suite 307 Arlington, VA 22201 cell - 202-321-3914 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Parsons" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:37:37 PM (GMT-0500) America/New_York Subject: Re: [Geowanking] ogc control? of kml Hello Mike, Mano is right in his answer, at this point in time the KML recognised by Google Earth is the OGC standard version, there is no KML 3.0 as such. You raise an interesting question as to the future of KML, it really is now open to the community to nominate changes to KML to allow new features implemented in software applications to become part of KML. This process is managed through the technical committee of the OGC, and I expect indeed hope to see new elements of KML promoted by the likes of Microsoft, ESRI or even yourself :-) To be abolsutly clear Google has not more influrence over future changes to KML than any other OGC member. Cheers Ed On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 1:07 AM, Mike Liebhold <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Mano, Thanks for your reply. Your answer is only a very literal interpretation of the first part of my question. What I was really asking about was the de-facto KML that google implements unilaterally in google earth way ahead formal OGC adoption. There are many KML elements in google earth that are -not- part of KML 2.2. e.g. KML3.0++ Doesn't google still control the future of KML through these pre-standard implementations? My other question is what is left out of the OGC KML2.2 spec ? I understand that a fair amount of 3d grammar is not part of KML 2.2. What else? In addition to a formal Google response (yours), I was hoping that someone like Raj Singh, Carl Reed, Ron Lake, or Andrew Turner might also comment. Thanks for any insights you can share Mike Mano Marks wrote: Hi y'all, I just wanted to address a couple of the points raised on the thread. To be completely out there, in case you missed my email address, I work for Google supporting Geo APIs. Mike asked if the OGC owns the future of KML. It does. Google no longer owns any KML IP.. The OGC owns all of it. Google is a member of the OGC, and we hope to be one of the drivers of innovation, but we don't own it or have any special privileges other OGC members don't have. Allan, you asked for a non license-agreement copy of something. Did you mean of the spec or just the documentation? This link: http://schemas.opengis.net/kml/2.2.0/ doesn't require signing a license Also, the KML 2.2 SWG at OGC is also open: http://www.opengeospatial.org/projects/groups/kml2.2swg Also, the KML docs on Google's site are pretty up to date. http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documentation/ If it is a different doc, I can see if I can get it for you. Mano On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 6:18 PM, Allan Doyle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: It's a little hard to tell, they have a click-through license at the OGC site. Does Google have a non-DRM'ed copy anywhere? Allan On Apr 18, 2008, at 2:37 PM, Mike Liebhold wrote: More (perhaps old) news ( 4/13) " OGC(R) Approves KML as Open Standard" The formal press release from OGC appended below, and this on a google blog http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/04/kml-new-standard-for-sharing-maps.html "Starting today, Google no longer controls KML. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), an international standards body, has announced the completion of KML's standardization process. KML has become an OGC Standard, and the OGC will take responsibility for maintaining and extending it. This transfer of ownership is a strong reflection of Google's commitment to open standards. Fundamentally, our interest is not to control information, but rather to encourage its spread." Despite this announcement , does the OGC community actually now 'own' the future of kml? I'm not sure. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can comment on whether not Google actually still controls KML destiny, with all of their queued up kml3.0 and beyond features and extensions they can unilaterally adopt and implement in google earth, before submission or adoption by OGC committees. I'm also wondering about highlights of alignment with GML, and what major elements are left out or postponed in this 'standard' version. Some 3d elements perhaps? Raj or Carl or Ron anyone in the OGC KML groups care to share any comments? (Andrew?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.opengeospatial.org/pressroom/pressreleases/857 OGC(R) Approves KML as Open Standard Wayland, Mass., April 14, 2008 - The members of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) today announced the approval of the OpenGIS(R) KML Encoding Standard (OGC KML), marking KML's transition into an open standard which will be maintained by the OGC. Developers will now have a standard approach for using KML to code and share visual geographic content in existing or future web-based online maps and 3D geospatial browsers like Google EarthTM. "We are pleased to see the adoption of KML as an OGC standard," said Ron Lake, chairman and chief executive officer of Galdos Systems Inc. "We believe that this is a major step forward for the OGC and for the entire geographic information community, as it provides the first broadly accepted standard for the visualization of geographic information." "Geographic data adds tremendous value to the online experience. More and more people are looking for ways to incorporate location information into their online content," said Michael Weiss-Malik, KML product manager for Google. "The standardization of KML makes it possible for both novice and expert users alike to publish and share geographical information in an open format. It's not unlike web browsers' standardized support for HTML, which allows any web browser to read any web page." KML version 2.2 was brought into the OGC consensus process by a submission team led by Google and Galdos Systems Inc. KML is an XML-based programming language, originally developed to manage the display of geospatial data in Google Earth. It's still used heavily in Google Earth but is also supported by a variety of vendors' tools and mapping websites. The OpenGIS KML 2.2 Encoding Standard formalizes the KML 2.2 model and language while remaining backwards compatible with existing KML 2.2 files and tools. In comparison with the GoogleTM KML 2.2 Reference, the standard defines: * the KML 2.2 geometry encoding and interpolation model * an extension model in support of application profiles * conformance requirements and test cases The adopted OpenGIS KML 2.2 Encoding Standard (OGC KML) is available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/kml/. About the OGC The OGC(R) is an international consortium of more than 345 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OpenGIS(R) Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC Standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org/. Google and Google Earth are trademarks of Google Inc. _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking -- Ed Parsons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 22 Bridgeman Road, Teddington, TW11 9AH, UK. skype ed_parsons w www.edparsons.com t +44 20 8977 8008 m +44 7919 372878 _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking
